Thursday, June 10, 2010

iPhones, iPads, and eBooks

Unless you've been living in a cave, you know that the new iPhone comes out on June 25th. The iPhone 4 runs $199-299, is thinner, and boasts a camera, plus it features the iOS 4 operating system which adds multitasking.

Apple is also releasing new apps that will enable those with iPhones and iTouches to download books from the iBookstore. Apple's eBook store will also feature books in pdf format. Helen Ginger had a great article about this yesterday, so visit her site for more details.

The iPad has had an impact on the eBook market, too. Apple's devices now rank third, just behind the Kindle and computers, as the eReader of choice. Online reading of newspapers and magazines has increased as well. And a third of all eReader owners purchased their device within the last six months.

And to give you an idea how many iPads are out there - two million have been sold worldwide since its debut on April 3, barely two months ago. One market research company says it will hit sixteen million units sold in the first year. And it's taken a bite out of the computer notebook industry, which has dropped 45% this year.

So what does everyone else think about all of this? Do you plan to purchase the new iPhone or the iPad?

26 comments:

Liza said...

No plans to purchase yet...but eventually there will be no choice. It is amazing to watch technology progress. I wonder where we will be thirty years from now.

Matthew MacNish said...

Hell yes - both - as soon as I get rich.

Helen Ginger said...

My husband has an iPad and loves it. He no longer carries paperbacks or searches airport stores for a book. I would like one, but can't justify the cost, especially when I have a stack of books on my desk waiting to be read.

Straight From Hel

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I'd like one!
And that's great news about the iBookstore.

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

I'd like one but whether I get one is a different matter, does one HAVE to keep up with progress?

Yvonne.

DEZMOND said...

Alex, what do you think when will these electronic books change into holo-novels like in STAR TREK?

Summer Frey said...

Nope. I have no interest in fancy cellphones, as much as I enjoy technology--I always just get the free upgrade when I resign my contract.

As for the iPad...again, it just seems like a big time suck. I like that the Kindle is for reading and reading only. I have my 4 computers for anything else...

Beth Zimmerman said...

I want an IPad but need to wait until the price comes down (a LOT). I was leaning towards wanting a Kindle but reviews (including yours) of the IPad have convinced me that it is the way to go even if it is a bit pricier. Maybe if I am a VERY good girl there will be one in my Christmas stocking!

Arlee Bird said...

You really keep up with things. I don't guess I'll be getting anything like that soon.
Know anybody who'd like to buy my TRS80 Radio Shack computer?

Lee
Tossing It Out

Charles Gramlich said...

Idon't yet have an iphone. I will get one eventually. I probably won't go with the ipad since I have a kindle for reading and that's mainly what I'd use it for.

Laura S. said...

Not the iPhone because I'm not a big phone person at all. It'd be a waste of money for me. I do think the iPad is pretty awesome!!! But really I'd have no use for it, so it would be another waste. Oh, well. I'll just have to satisfy my Mac appetite by sticking with my Apple laptop and iPods!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Helen, I knew your husband would dig it.

Dez I'm all for holodecks! Living out one's fantasies... Wait, did I say that out loud?

Summer, I don't even own a cell phone.

Beth, may your Christmas wishes come true. Go for the iPad. It's SO much more than just an eReader.

Lee, perhaps a museum?

The Man-Cave said...

I don't want to sound too frugal but as much as I WANT an iPad, I might want to wait for the price to drop a little. Even though I one of the last people on Earth without an iPhone, the iPad is more appealing to me and my needs.

Raquel Byrnes said...

Nope, love my Droid. Aside from a larger screen...I can't see what an iPad does that my phone doesn't.

With the cost still so steep, I can't justify buying a device that doesn't significantly change how I go about my day.

I can already check email, text, watch videos, listen to my music, and call in one pocket-sized device. If I want to look at pictures, I have a digital frame at home.

If I want to read a book, I 'll get a Kindle or Nook because that is the only time screen size matters to me.

They sure are pretty, though. If I had the disposable income I'd splurge for sure.

Sarah Ahiers said...

i'll probably get an iPad at some point. when i have enough money to justify the expense

Talli Roland said...

I would LOVE to have an iPad but at £450 over here, they're just too much at the moment!

Unknown said...

I like the iPad for the internet features, but for pure reading, I'd prefer some kind of e-reader like a Kindle, Nook or Kobo. I'd like to be able to read outside, and the backlit iPad wouldn't be good for that.

Well, shoot, I hit something wrong and lost half my reply.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Geof, by the end of this year, the price will drop I'm sure.

Raquel, the iPad doesn't have a phone, which is good, because a phone that big would be ridiculous. Think of it as an iTouch on steroids.

And I've not had any problems with the backlit screen - but then again, it's hot here and I'm not venturing outside unless forced.

Unknown said...

I think it sounds really cool but I'm not sure I can afford it or that I will use it more than my computer...

CD

Southpaw said...

Hey, my rock is nice and cozy!
Neither are for me. I’m not too much of a phone person and the iPad is too big.

Hannah said...

I have no current plans to purchase either...some day. Some day.

Jemi Fraser said...

I'm with Hannah - someday! The budget is a little tight right now :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

The iPhone has come down in price - I'm sure the iPad will soon as well.

Anonymous said...

I'm probably not going to go with the iPhone or the iPad but I just love seeing how fast things can change. I wonder what comes next.

sfdada said...

Oh yes. IPad is changing so many things for us. Typing is even evolving. We skipped all the fancy phones even the iPhone but the iPad is cool for about a thousand reasons.

We have a C64 on a shelf too if interested. Saw the other day that someone shoved an iPad into a Mac classic as a stand. Just beautiful.

Karen Lange said...

No plans to purchase one now. Maybe someday.